A Promise Of Peace For All People: The Covenant With Abraham

Genesis 15:1-6 (ESV)God’s Covenant With Abram15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue[a] childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son[b] shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.Have you ever had to wait for something? I mean, really, wait. I’m not talking about that Amazon package that got delayed or the coffee that should have been ready five minutes ago. I’m talking about a time when God called you into a season of waiting. Those seasons can be hard. They test us. They show how quickly we grow impatient and how easily we lose our peace.Part of the reason is that the world around us has trained us to be this way. We live in a culture that is increasingly impatient, always on edge, and ready to lash out at the slightest inconvenience. The only way we can truly combat this growing temptation is by being nurtured in God’s Word and holding fast to His promises.That is exactly what Abraham was called to do. God called Abraham to be set apart, to live faithfully before Him, and to wait for the promised heir. God established a covenant with Abraham—a new beginning—and promised: “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him whom dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abraham believed God, but then he had to wait—a long time—before seeing this promise fulfilled.This Sunday, we will explore the life of Abraham, the call to wait, and the promise of peace that only comes from the Prince of Peace.In Christ,Pastor Blake